"The fundamental inanity of existence has already pierced my heart, and I know now that only cakes have any savor." In a tiny room under the Parisian rooftops, a precocious student concocts a rather unusual plan for a simple task: suicide. A dizzying array of desserts—pastries, chocolates, cookies, custards and more—are the instruments of her demise. A Sweet Death is the macabre and humorous record of a young woman’s eccentric progression. A rumination on life, literature, philosophy, fashion, love, and—most importantly—food. By turns sumptuous, horrific and hopeful, Claude Tardat’s novel is an original and compelling exploration of what it means to be alive.